{"id":1779752,"date":"2026-02-19T12:42:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T09:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1779752"},"modified":"2026-02-19T12:42:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T09:42:08","slug":"reputational-damage-already-done-highguard-clings-to-life-with-a-content-patch-as-devs-insist-website-going-down-a-low-priority-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1779752","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Reputational damage already done&#8221; &#8211; Highguard clings to life with a content patch as devs insist website going down a &#8220;low priority&#8221; problem"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/highguard\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Highguard<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">&#8220;Reputational damage already done&#8221; &#8211; Highguard clings to life with a content patch as devs insist website going down a &#8220;low priority&#8221; problem<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">&#8220;Now we just need to focus on delivering updates and content to improve.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/highguard-update.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Four characters stand in heroic poses in a line. A few of them hold large guns. They are a Highguard team of heroes.\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"highguard-update.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Wildlight<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Robert Purchese avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/user-9946-originalxoriginal-14-03-23.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1017\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Robert Purchese avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"user-9946-originalxoriginal-14-03-23.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1017\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/robert-purchese\">Robert Purchese<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Associate Editor<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-02-19T12:42:08+00:00\">Feb. 19, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<div class=\"comments\">\n      <a class=\"comments__link comments-bubble\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/highguard-clings-to-life-with-a-content-patch?view=comments\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n          14 comments<br \/>\n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"50adbca5-85d4-4527-8e29-842e617316c0\" data-name=\"Highguard\" data-follow-text=\"Follow Highguard\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following Highguard\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow Highguard\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following Highguard\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow Highguard\" title=\"Follow Highguard\"><br \/>\n  Follow Highguard<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Floundering PvP shooter Highguard lives on, as developer Wildlight releases a new content update and assures worried fans that ominous signs like the game&#8217;s website going offline are &#8220;low priority&#8221; problems.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/news\/app\/4128260\/view\/518613150889673564\">The new content update<\/a>, released overnight, adds an airship-featuring base to the game, a lockpick raid tool, and expands what&#8217;s on sale in the Store. There&#8217;s an owlbear-like mount there called a Moonbruin, and some Iron Vigil-themed outfits.<\/p>\n<p>The patch arrives amidst growing concern that Highguard is about to shut down &#8211; an assumption that follows a bad start for the game, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/highguard-not-shutting-down-following-wildlight-layoffs-with-a-core-group-of-members-left-to-support-game\">resulting in lay-offs at Wildlight<\/a>, and more recently, <a href=\"https:\/\/playhighguard.com\/\">the game&#8217;s website suddenly going offline<\/a>. (It&#8217;s still offline, by the way.)<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"primis_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"primis_video\">\n<p><span class=\"embed_placeholder\" data-type=\"targeting\"><br \/>\n<span class=\"message\">To see this content please enable targeting cookies.<\/span><br \/>\n<button class=\"optanon-show-settings link\"><br \/>\nManage cookie settings<\/button><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p><a class=\"button video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=72Q286nJoqI\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n<p>But Wildlight remains outwardly resolute despite these setbacks, insisting in the game&#8217;s Discord overnight that the website issue is nothing sinister. &#8220;Not sure on the timeframe, but basically needs to be transferred and simplified,&#8221; explained Wildlight staff member WL_Coronach (<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/charlieINTEL\/status\/2024081430674800915\/photo\/2\">screenshotted by CharlieIntel<\/a>). &#8220;Low priority atm (reputational damage already done). Now we just need to focus on delivering updates and content to improve.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>These comments follow a statement sent to Eurogamer earlier this month, regarding the layoffs, in which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/highguard-not-shutting-down-following-wildlight-layoffs-with-a-core-group-of-members-left-to-support-game\">Wildguard said a &#8220;core group of developers&#8221; would remain to support Highguard<\/a>, and that the game wasn&#8217;t about to close.<\/p>\n<p>Highguard&#8217;s had a hard time ever since closing The Game Awards in December. Despite the prominence of such an announcement and the proximity of a January release date, the game remained almost invisible until release, suggesting there were problems. Then when Highguard did finally arrive &#8211; a game with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/titanfall\">Titanfall<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/apex-legends\">Apex Legends<\/a> pedigree &#8211; it failed to convince. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/we-were-turned-into-a-joke-from-minute-one-fired-highguard-developer-reflects-on-games-ill-fated-launch-and-false-assumptions-after-game-awards-reveal\">&#8220;We were turned into a joke from minute one,&#8221; former Highguard developers said<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Floundering PvP shooter Highguard lives on, as developer Wildlight releases a new content update and assures worried fans that ominous signs like the game&#8217;s website going offline are &#8220;low priority&#8221; problems.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/news\/app\/4128260\/view\/518613150889673564\">The new content update<\/a>, released overnight, adds an airship-featuring base to the game, a lockpick raid tool, and expands what&#8217;s on sale in the Store. There&#8217;s an owlbear-like mount there called a Moonbruin, and some Iron Vigil-themed outfits.<\/p>\n<p>The patch arrives amidst growing concern that Highguard is about to shut down &#8211; an assumption that follows a bad start for the game, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/highguard-not-shutting-down-following-wildlight-layoffs-with-a-core-group-of-members-left-to-support-game\">resulting in lay-offs at Wildlight<\/a>, and more recently, <a href=\"https:\/\/playhighguard.com\/\">the game&#8217;s website suddenly going offline<\/a>. (It&#8217;s still offline, by the way.)<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"primis_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"primis_video\">\n<p><span class=\"embed_placeholder\" data-type=\"targeting\"><br \/>\n<span class=\"message\">To see this content please enable targeting cookies.<\/span><br \/>\n<button class=\"optanon-show-settings link\"><br \/>\nManage cookie settings<\/button><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p><a class=\"button video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=72Q286nJoqI\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n<p>But Wildlight remains outwardly resolute despite these setbacks, insisting in the game&#8217;s Discord overnight that the website issue is nothing sinister. &#8220;Not sure on the timeframe, but basically needs to be transferred and simplified,&#8221; explained Wildlight staff member WL_Coronach (<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/charlieINTEL\/status\/2024081430674800915\/photo\/2\">screenshotted by CharlieIntel<\/a>). &#8220;Low priority atm (reputational damage already done). Now we just need to focus on delivering updates and content to improve.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>These comments follow a statement sent to Eurogamer earlier this month, regarding the layoffs, in which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/highguard-not-shutting-down-following-wildlight-layoffs-with-a-core-group-of-members-left-to-support-game\">Wildguard said a &#8220;core group of developers&#8221; would remain to support Highguard<\/a>, and that the game wasn&#8217;t about to close.<\/p>\n<p>Highguard&#8217;s had a hard time ever since closing The Game Awards in December. Despite the prominence of such an announcement and the proximity of a January release date, the game remained almost invisible until release, suggesting there were problems. Then when Highguard did finally arrive &#8211; a game with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/titanfall\">Titanfall<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/apex-legends\">Apex Legends<\/a> pedigree &#8211; it failed to convince. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/we-were-turned-into-a-joke-from-minute-one-fired-highguard-developer-reflects-on-games-ill-fated-launch-and-false-assumptions-after-game-awards-reveal\">&#8220;We were turned into a joke from minute one,&#8221; former Highguard developers said<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Highguard &#8220;Reputational damage already done&#8221; &#8211; Highguard clings to life with a content patch as devs insist website going down a &#8220;low priority&#8221; problem &#8220;Now we just need to focus on delivering updates and content to improve.&#8221; Image credit: Wildlight News by Robert Purchese Associate Editor Published on Feb. 19, 2026 14 comments [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-1779752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1779752","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1779752"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1779752\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1779752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1779752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1779752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}